Saving the Safari Cam

We have decided to help save the LIVE Safari broadcasts. We have worked with WildEarth since their inception years ago and they have always strived to produce what nobody else does, a twice daily LIVE safari broadcast. Think about what that means, out here at the edge of civilisation they have dared to produce six hours of live safari broadcast with presenter, and crew, and back up systems and all this while driving through a rough landscape dodging trees and such whilst looking for the great beasts of this world, including dangerous creatures like elephants and lions. And this short sentence does not do it justice and one could write a book on all the trials and tribulations, triumphs and false starts that lie behind this audacious experiment in creating a virtual community across the world that daily share in this drama we call safari at Djuma Game Reserve.

Well, the experiment looks about to end since all of these things in our world are dictated by economics; from WildEarth’s and Safari Television’s point of view the losses were no longer sustainable. This is where Djuma and you the audience come in … Djuma will operate these drives as cost-effectively as it can, and you the audience help us increase traffic to our two cameras (Djuma Waterhole cam and Djuma Safari cam) so that we can apply the income from them to the operating expenses associated with these cams; this is the only way we will ever be able to save and make these cameras sustainable. We are very pleased that both Marc and Tara have agreed to come work for Djuma to keep bringing you these drives and will announce the third person as soon as we have final confirmation.

86 Responses to Saving the Safari Cam

That’s the most exciting news I’ve heard in a long time. Thank you, thank you, and rest assured that we the audience, and I’m sure I speak for most of us, will do our part in keeping the live broadcasts going.

To say “Thank you” truely doesnt say enough, but Thank you is all I have to say!! I hope Djuma will keep the same presenters, Marc and Tara, and the rest of the crew on as their experts for the restart of the safari drives!! Thank you!!!!

I am so very happy that you have elected to save our wonderful drives. We hope that the future for the drives and Djuma Reserve are bright and economically successful.
I am equally happy that Marc and Tara are staying, I hope the rest of the crew also has the same opportunity..

Thanks again I can’t even begin to tell you what this means to all of us who have made you all a part of our cyber family…

Thank you very very much for this Jurie, Pippa and the whole Djuma team. It would be an immense loss if these safaris did not carry on, and I can think of no better way for their resurrection than with you all as the producers and operators. WE, and I am sure all the viewers, will be 100% behind you all the way.

Oh this is the best news in the world Yes the live safaris have taught us much abou africa(its made me respect hyenas)and nore.The interaction with marc and Tara the questions answered the knowledge they have shared has helped the world respect wildlife.I have been here since the beginning and anything yall need done We will be happy to do to keep our Marc.Tara and the live drives.Please keep us updated somehow hopefully thru fb. I will help all i can if it means we get to keep our live drives and Marc an Tara Thank you Djuma Gloria

Thank you so much! My husband and I really enjoy these drives! I speak for many others who may not comment, but they, too are thankful for your continuing to show us the beautiful wildlife of south Africa!

Thankyou for your efforts. I have enjoyed these safaris for almost three years, and dreaded the end of the broadcasts. The news of Tara and Marc staying made my day. If there’s anyway we can help, please keep us informed.

Bravo! This is a win-win for everyone. As more people find SC, they will see how wonderful Djuma is and hear of the lodge, probably for the first time. I have heard of a few SC watchers visiting Djuma in just the last few months. What better advertising could there be–let the animals do the ‘talking’. And just think of those you will be thrilling that for whatever reason can never make it to SA. SC is a blessing to them. I know you can make this work, and thank you for taking it on. You are heroes in the eyes of SC lovers new & old.

I cant thank you two enough for keep the drives going. And to marc and tara .. thank you two for hanging in there.
Juri and Pippa.. hope I have the names correct… The WE viewers are very happy people today . I know there are tears of joy from othes besides myself.
Big huge hug to you all .. WE love you.

Thank you so much for doing this, Watching the safaris and the Djuma cam has brought so much enjoyment to me and my family. As a small business owner I have had the opportunity to share this site with my customers, many of whom are teachers, Also with the children that come in. In fact I printed out “business” cards with the web-address to all of the wild earth web cams and have given it out to at least 200 people, I have also posted it on my facebook page. Again i just wanted to say thank you so much for saving the safaris, it means so much to so many viewers that range in age from 9 yrs old to 85 yrs old. Looking forward to many years of viewing, Sincerely grateful, Dalene Kolk

I and the rest of us who wait anxiously morning and night to take these magnificent journeys through the djuma reserve are incredibly thankful to the Djuma Game Reserve for saving the WildEarth safaris from extinction. Some of us who take that safari are young and are looking forward to saving up to come to the Vuyatela lodge to experience the safari first hand. Others of us are not so lucky, and the only way we can experience the awe and mystery of the jungle is through our computers. In either case, the anticipated loss was taking a toll on all of us. But thanks to your generosity, we no longer face that threat. We are all indebted to you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Pippa & Jurie, for helping keep the live safari drives online! They mean a lot to a lot of people and are not only entertainment, but educational, too, for those who do not live with African animals (and plants) daily. Good luck on this new endeavour! I will spread the word as much as I can through my resources and I hope that all the others out there who have been watching the safari drives for days, weeks, months or years do the same thing.

I don’t want to sound like some kind of a nut but when I read that notice about the game drive It made me cry! Honest! I have a full interesting life, I have a young son, have gone bak to college and have so much going on…….but those game drives have come to mean so much to me. I collect and read all the books that were written by Osa and Martin Johnson (very early photographers (1930-40’s) that brought the bush back to America for all to see, and I feel like you are doing the same thing. I believe in the world of karma and may you both be blessed with good fortune and positive energy…..but then again it seems as you already are…Marc and Tara are now part of your family!

I am willing to throw down some cash as I did with the “tip jar” for this worthy cause…and coming from a single Mom ..you know I must really love you guys………CHEERS TO YOU BOTH…….Susan Schramm from Chicago Illinois. P.S. If I knew how to pop in those silly smilley faces I would but I’m not much of a computer geek and I need to go wipe the few tears that are trickling down my cheeks.

From the first day we learned that Safari was ending the drives and all the comments and discussions started about trying to save our beloved drives…..I have believed that if anyone, anything could or would even try to keep it going, it would be through Djuma. After all the two of you were the ‘founders’ of the live drives and chat. God bless you for giving this lifeline to us. We as viewers will do our best to help.

After no AM drive and coming online this morning for the PM drive only to find there are still problems, my heart sunk. Then no chat. I am so glad that I came back and started clicking around and then found the great news. My heart is lifted and I’m certain many others will be as well. This is even more wonderful knowing that our beloved Marc and Tara will still be leading us on these daily forays through the bush!

May the dream continue and many others around the world get to experience and learn about the wilds of Africa and all the wonderful and amazing creatures you live with everyday.

a big thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! there are so many of us that enjoy and learn from the safari drives. we are all so very happy that you’ve decided to help keep it running!! big hugs to you all.

There are no words that adequately thank you for saving the Live Drives, which I’ve been
watching since I discovered them over two and a half years ago. The crew are like family
to me. It was difficult enough to say goodby to so many of the staff who moved on during
that time, but my heart has been broken since the news was posted on WE that the drives were ending.

I know that many of the viewers would be more than willing to contribute the the continuation of the drives. I don’t have much money, but I would find a way to do that.
If you decide that might be an option, feel free to contact me via e-mail.

how about promoting the cameras to the Travel trade so their clients could know exactly what to expect on their safari holiday…and receive a bit of education in advance, thus improving their safari experience? Perhaps they would be willing to include details when they sell a holiday? From my personal point of view, thank you!

This is fantastic news! Thank you so much for doing this. We will from our side try to get more viewers to watch these fantastic drives. You should approach the dept of education and form a partnership with them to help in the education of the kids in animals, behaviour and conservation.
Would there be any way that you would consider having day trips to Djuma where people could visit and pay for a breakfast or lunch and a safari drive, or to have packages specifically for South Africans who would love to stay at your lodges, but can’t necessarily afford the usual overseas visitor rates. I sure would love to do that!

Thank you Jurie so very much.. This is absolutely Fantastic news for everyone. I wish Djuma success with your new venture and have no doubt it will generate tons of business for you and all us fans will make sure to spread the word about the Waterhole and drive cams.:-))

Mahalo and Aloha to all @ Djumba who are helping to keep the drives alive. Marc, Tara and all the rest have truly hosted one of the most unique sites on the web and one that shows the ultimate best application of technology and the world wide web. Be assured that I will do my best to spread the word and promote Djumba, the waterhole cam and Pete’s Pond cam in any way i can. Once again Mahalo and THANK YOU for “stepping up” to continue this truly unique experience. Although I am at the other side of the world (Hawaii) I look forward to the Morning Drive (evening here) every day, as well as switch between Pete’s and the Waterhole Too.

O.M.G. What great great news. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I have always been a lurker on the drives, for a couple of years now, but I know the names of all the people that chat, unfortunately they don’t know me. All I can say is if you want me/we to do anything to keep these drives going please ask. I know everyone will do ANYTHING to help.
This is the answer to all our prayers.Thank you Djuma Tara and Mark. Sheila (The Aussi Lurker)

I and so many others are extremely grateful that you have stepped up to help out. This is our opportunity to view your natural habitat through the window of the web and each drive we are enthralled by Djuma and the animals we’ve come to love. We viewers were going to really miss not only Marc and Tara, but all the camera people, staff, and the other guides we would hear talk on ther radios. I am even fluent in a few Shangaan/Tsonga words! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thank you
Thank you so much for saving these great hours of live game drives that has become an important part of so many people’s lives.
It is one of the things I love doing on a daily basis , logging in and feeling like I am there with the fabulous presenters in the bush experiencing the heart beat of African nature.
It really is the best news I had for a while.
I hope this will work out and be possible for years to come .

this is the best news after a sad week .. we are all grateful for saving the drives and rich knowledge they teach.. I also will be happy to contribute in some way to keep the drives going…Thanks again Jurie and Pippa

Thank you so much for stepping up and keeping these drives going. These drives do much to promote wildlife conservation and provide an education to the wilds of South Africa for both young and old. I hope you find ways to make the drives economically sustainable for years to come. I certainly think these drives will be good marketing and complement for your travel business.

Dear Everyone at Djuma, Thank you so very much for being the wonderful people that you are, and for stepping in and saving our beloved safari. Thank you to Mark and Tara for all that you have done to make the safari a great adventure for myself, my husband and for my friends. And a special thank you to the crew who enable Mark and Tara to broadcast their explorations. Your unselfish act of generousity proves that good karma does come back around. I’m looking forward to viewing many wonderful adventures with you, and maybe ond day visiting you! Big Hugs To All Of You!!!

Thank you Jurie & Pippa for saving the drives! That means alot to people all over the world. Many people have made the crew a part of their everyday life. I think a good way to bring more people to the viewing audience is by advertising.. Social network websites is a good way of course. Im not sure how but adding a banner or ad on videos the way you see it sites like youtube. Adds in magazines ie national geographic & travel magazines. Finding sponsors to cover the cost for running the ad.

Thank you. I just love the drives and don’t know how I would manage without them!! The game reserves are my absolute favourite and watching the safaris just keeps South Africa a little closer. I visit the Kruger and Sabi Sands as regularly as I can, but your safaris just keep me happy in between. Thanks so much.

iam glad to here the the safaria has been saved. i have been wathcing for a month and love it. all the different animals you see. and the special thing about it is that its live and seeing it as it happens. when you take us on the drive with you we viewers are threre. its fun and educational thanks again

So many people around the world, including me, have stated repeatedly how much these live drives (and cams) have brought joy and education to their lives, and I join them in their Thank You for bringing life to the drives again and look forward to the instructions to bring in more viewers. And that sentence doesn’t come near to conveying how we all feel about All the folks producing this for all of us around this ‘wildearth’. I will tune in to Africa forever and have a Djuma trip savings started. Thank You.

Being an avid watcher of the safari drives for the last 2 years, I am so happy to hear the drives will continue. Thanks to Djuma team ! I have gotten many of my family members and friends hooked on the drives, too. I watch from Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie and love being able to watch live, halfway around the world, the beauty and wildlife that you bring to me. Best of luck and keep up the fantastic work!

i am absolutley thrilled that we now can save the safari drives we neeed to educate school children about the wonders of this beautiful place we call mother africa godbless the people and the djuma game reserve i know there was a glimmer of hope

I have some great connections in the usa.
Been in contact with large zoo administerators.
Also, Bill an Melinda Gates office. Many others
involved in funding and grants. There are some
great ideaqs out there to help the live safari to
survive!
what i need are email addys direct to you,
this is important in that if i find large funding they
would need to contact you.
the direction to be taken should be educational
with emphasis on saving wildlife. this should be
directed to the young children. I understand the
drives were viewed by the children in St. judes
children hospital for cancer research, they will
surely miss it!
my emails r == snappiedoggie@gmail and
bedashoo@hotmail.
phone in usa is 1-540-464-8441
if u wish to help supporting the drives please due!
thanks for saving the live safaris — jay norris

Oh what a wonderful surprise getting home from my North Carolina vacation to hear our beloved Safari will return. Thank you so much for caring. I was bummed out all week and now I am elated….I have learned so much by tuning to the Safari every day. Learned about the peopel of SA and the great animals. This is the only way I will ever see your part of the world…Thanks again…

I learned the terrific news on Sat. Thank you all involved in saving “our” safari. The news made my year! I also add give us a way to help. I like the idea of PayPal or similar on the website. Bless you all. Ann from Indiana (negrilann1)

Jurie and Pippa, words cannot adequately convey how much your willingness to take over the Safari drives is appreciated – it means so much to so many people from all over the world.
Everyone is trying very hard to bring more viewers in, and we all hope this will make a positive impact on your bottom-line.
Thank you both again for this “educational and fun gift”.

Thanks for saving the Safari Cam this gives people the chance to be virtually ‘in’ the African bush, the technology is new but I am certain that thousands of people would watch it if the word is spread more widely. The sounds of the bush add so much to the experience forever on nature TV they play music when all we want is raw sound, + the presenters and camera operators bring expert info to our computers.

Very good news BUT it will be only possible when we are helping you with all kind of actions to continue.

I am a regular visitor of Sabi Sands for holiday and look very often to the drives.
This way of showing the bush gives you the feeling if you were there and I think for a lot of people who are not able to visit for all kind of reasons it gives them a good feeling what is going on in the bush. On the other hand it’s also a kind of edeucation which is good for everybody.

If I can be of help to promote or what other kind of activity,let me know.

A big thank you from Southern California.
Can’t wait, was in Kruger and Sabie Sands two weeks ago and already missing it
Let us all know when you have a live date so we can start publicizing the drives
All the best
RusssellT (Mafuta)

I would like to give you both a HUGE hug to express my joy at your decision to give the safaris another chance.. and that will have to wait a while! Thank you for the cam, and thank you for giving us the pleasure of going on drives with Marc, Tara and Sebastien in Djuma.

I AM VERY HAPPY JURIE AND PIPPA FOR STEPPING IN TO HELP SAVE THESE WONDERFUL LIVE SAFARI DRIVES. ALSO TO KEEP MARC AND TARA AND SEBASTIAN ON BOARD TOO, JUST MAKES MY HEART SING. I FOUND THESE DRIVES ALMOST 3 YRS AGO AND THEY HAVE BEEN A LIFE SAVER FOR ME BEING BEDRIDDEN. I WILL DO ANYTHING I CAN POSSIBLY DO, TO HELP AND DO MY PART. I WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH. I DON’T DO FB, SO I’M A LITTLE LATE READING ALL THIS NEWS.
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR NEW ADVENTURE JURIEAND PIPPA!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

[…] Saving Safari Cam | Djuma Private Game ReserveJul 27, 2011 … We have decided to help save the LIVE Safari broadcasts. We have worked with WildEarth since their inception years ago and they have … […]